Blue Ridge blog

SHEEP!

Continuing on the barnyard theme of my last post, I saw this roly poly while on assignment in the Fall Creek community of Avery county yesterday. It was snowing slightly and I was making my way up a mule face of a mountain when I saw Mr. Sheep looking at me. I immediately had a 'The Hills are Alive," kind of moment where I was overcome with the feeling of running with my arms wide open towards Mr. Fluff. I briefly imagined trying to fit my arms around his body and burying my face in his softness. Alas, Mr. Squishy could read my mind and my thoughts scared him . All I got was this photo.
But, he is adorable with all that wool he's been growing over the winter.

Hey, I wonder if I'm this darn cute with all my winter weight?

Ponies!

I was so tired last night that I slapped up the previous shot on the blog without much fuss. Upload image. Press save. Done. Sleep.

This post is a bit more deliberate. I stopped by the Dutch Creek farms just as the light was waning from the sky last night. I shot several scenics and distance scenes of the horses in the fields with my BRAND NEW Nikon D300. Suddenly I felt like I was being watched. I turned around and saw this cluster of ponies tucked against the barn, with snow laden backs, staring at me with such sorrowful eyes. Naturally, I pointed my BRAND NEW Nikon D300 right at 'em and pulled the trigger.

Anyway, I'm just reporting that yesterday was a good day. I mean, how could it not be? I scored a BRAND NEW Nikon D300 and I got to see fuzzy ponies.

With any luck, this post won't stay at the top of my blog for long....

THis was the greyish-blue scene I saw tonight while returning home from a long work day. Silly meteorologists have done called for yet another whopper. "The Sky is Falling," or so I've been told yet again by both the professional and amateur meteorologists. I would LOL at the forecast, but the most recent radar shows a huge glob of threatening moisture hovering over SE Virginia so I shant tempt the wrath of the snow fairy by being my normal sarcastic self. Still, it won't be a snow/sleep-in day tomorrow for this gal. I've got photos to snag for this and that and if'n I must get up and put on snow gear, let it be a doozy of a snow day so I might earn the t-shirt.

....And, y'all can read my blog from the comfort of your couch and be impressed with my dedication to work;0

Shush, I can hear you LOL'ing at my expense stupidity. Quit it.

++It is almost 10 pm and unless there is a major snow dump in the next 8 hours, I have the unpleasant task of waking my daughter in the morning and breaking the bad news that she has to go to school. Poor me.++

S'no news and good news....

And I looked out the window this afternoon and it was snowing quarter-sized flakes. Just as suddenly as the white deluge started, it ceased.

So probably the biggest news around our house these days is that I can now breathe through my nose sans the aid of my beloved Afrin Pumpmist. I'm less snuff-ly and that makes everyone in close proximity to me a bit more comfortable...

In other delightful news:

1) My eldest is 100% committed to transferring to ASU next fall. The deposit is in the mail and she is
deliriously happy to return up the mountain. "I can't wait to play in the ASU orchestra, join the ASU
cycling team and take classes with less than 300 people in them," she told me this weekend.
2) My youngest has now been accepted to her 2nd, 3rd and 4th choice colleges. She's still waiting to
hear from her 1st choice. Her first choice, which rhymes with 'Bapalachun,' is a stretch given her SAT
scores and the lateness her high school transcripts were submitted to the university (NOT her fault). Yet
youngest is in a good place with her fate and is now pondering her possibilities. Her 2nd choice
school is 7 long hours away from home, and in another state. It is a small-ish, yet growing university,
ideally suited for her personality and academic goals. "I'm so over high school and can't wait to meet
new friends," she confided this evening as we talked about upcoming visits to her 2nd and 3rd choice
schools.
3) My new job is going great. Of course, I'm in that all important probationary period so I still have to bite
my tongue;) regarding the fine folk I'm working with. JK don't ya know? I've never been a part of a
creative 'dream team' before and well, this feels good.

Oh Dear

I'm a little flu-sy. Gonna go shoot a Polar Plunge then hit the bed....

Purple-y

I took this photo yesterday morning just before sunrise. I propped the camera on the deck railing to get this exposure. The real image is blue but because I'm in a purple-y mood, I did it my way.

I'll keep my weekend excitement brief and devoid of too many easily googled details.

A stranger broke into our house in the wee hours of Sunday morning and woke me up. The man was intoxicated. I was scared but surprisingly calm. I was able to coax him out of the house and call the police who later found him nearby.

Turns out, there was a wide-open party somewhere nearby. The cops came and the drunken kids scattered like cockroaches. I was the lucky recipient of the one cockroach who lost his way in efforts to flee through the woods. According to my youngest, at least five high school seniors were arrested this weekend.
All I can add is the kid picked the right house in our neck of the woods to wander into. Many folks round here don't take kindly to surprise strangers in the night. Their policy is to shoot intruders first and ask questions later.

Now here's some pleasant news near and dear to my heart:

Appalachian receives a grant to digitize historic photos. And there is already public access to some images in this collection.  Cool stuff--Go. Look. See. .

Whatcha lookin' at?

Welcome to my fish bowl. I'm not sure you really want to peer too closely as you might see the crusty corners in my glass house as well as a fair amount of mirrored illusions, germ-y creatures and felons lurking within.
The weekend has been surreal, like a dream, but not.
When I finish swimming through the murky waters of my toilet, err, fish bowl, and see more clearly, I'll tell you all the slimy details.

But first: John Doe is fine. He just went for a Valentine's Day excursion. Last I heard, he refused tell his tale, but he was indeed still waggin' his tail.

Next: Mom, I'm ok. But boy do I have a doozy of story to tell you which will make you sick with worry. But don't worry. I'm o.k., now. Let's do the cell thing tomorrow so I can horrify you with all the details.

And sadly, my youngest daughter has the flu--poor child. I told her today, as she shivered 'neath 5 piles of blankets, that no matter how much she begged me to go to school tomorrow, there was no way I was gonna allow her to go. No way, no how. She clung to her 'big pillow' and offered me a pitiful grin.

The sun sets on Hwy 194...

My eldest called from college yesterday and suggested I check my Valle Crucis P.O. box. I really did try to make it to the Mast General Store before it closed, but I kinda got sidetracked. I stopped on Baird's Creek Rd to take this photo. I was gonna trash this shot because lens flare doesn't do much for me, but a photographer buddy convinced me make it a keeper. What do you think? I'm leaning on the 'not' side...

On a much more vital note: John Doe is missing. You know, this John Doe. If'n you are about and see the worthless mutt, let me know or call the Mast Store. He didn't come home last night and wasn't waiting at the Mast Store door this morning to be fed. John Doe rarely misses a meal opportunity. I'll check first thing on Friday to see if he did show up and let ya know what I know.

Hee Haw

I got up early this morning to see what I could find to test out a new Canon 16-35mm 2.8 lens. Et voila, I wondered into Valle Crucis and found some ass to pose for me on the Taylor Family farm. The bottom photo is untouched-- just a little sharpening in PS. I discovered a bit of vignetting on the lens but this is something I can generally work around. I lit the donkey using a Fong (just google it). I played with the shot on top while in Adobe's Lightroom. I'm adjusting to this new software and Canon world I have been thrust into...and I dare say I'm may be going over to the white side.